Voice of Ruin
by starofjustice
Summary: It was all supposed to a routine training expedition. Just a few days, a few typical exercises. Instead a group of young heroes found themselves testing their mettle for the first time, and launching the legacy of the greatest champion of the New Order…
1. Chapter 1

**Voice of Ruin – The First**

The sun was starting to descend toward the horizon over the Freylund Forest in far western Sommerlud. The very air seemed to hum faintly with a vibrant energy that invigorated those passing through it, and the birdsong seemed livelier and the trees greener than anywhere else in the country. Winter's touch was beginning to be felt in other northern lands, but not in Sommerlund. There was indeed a reason for this, a closely guarded secret. But how long could it be kept, the guardians of this forest wondered?

In a clearing near the forest's northern edge a young man sat calmly on an old log, his hands resting on his knees and his eyes shut in silent meditation. One ear pricked slightly as he heard a bird cry out above, warning another of its kind that a human had entered their territory, but he didn't move or react to the bird's call at all, and after a minute it flew away.

But then there was another sound, a faint rustling of something passing through the bushes on the edge of the clearing. It was only there for a second before stopping again, but the man opened his eyes and called out with a faint smile, "I see you've still a thing or two to learn of staying silent, Chill Wind."

"This is hardly fair!" cried out a gangly boy of no more than sixteen summers as he walked into the clearing, followed by another two about the same age, a stout, stocky boy and a whisper-thin girl with fiery red hair peeking out from under her hood. Each of them wore a grey cloak fastened with a metal clasp engraved with a picture of the sun, just like the young man. "How in the world can I be expected to sneak up on a Grand Master?!" he went on.

"You plan to be one yourself one day, don't you?" the young man smiled even wider and stood up from the log, his meditations obviously over for now. "Imagine when you'll be catching the initiates trying to sneak up on _you_!"

The young man looked intensely at a campfire he'd built, and at a mental command the dry tinder he'd placed underneath started to burn. He was Brave Blade, the name given to him by the Order of the Kai. The leader of the order had said the look in his eyes during training had been just like the leader of the order's when he'd been a boy.

Brave Blade was indeed a Grand Master within their ranks, one of the most elite of even their distinguished order of specially-trained warriors and well-versed with their many unique powers. Normally a training expedition like this was left to less senior Kai Lords, but a friend called Bright Star had been trying to divine the future with one of the new skills the leader had taught him, and told Brave Blade it would be for the best if he left the monastery for a few days. He'd wondered several times what Bright Star had been getting at, but had to admit it was a welcome change of pace to be outside putting his abilities to use.

"Come, my lords," Brave Blade said to the others. "Show me the proof of your skills."

"Come see, Grand Master!" the girl, Red Fang, said proudly holding up a pair of forest hares she'd shot for their supper. She tapped the weapon she'd used to do it against her thigh, one of the few surviving Redalion-type automatic crossbows. Brave Blade had learned quickly the weapon was her most prized possession, and had learned from listening to the initiates talk during their trek that it greatly amused her not to confirm the rumors that the leader of the order himself had given the crossbow to her.

She was a feisty young warrior, a stealthy hunter and already skilled in the art of healing with a touch and speaking with animals. Her teachers confidently predicted she would go far in the order. Perhaps she'd get the chance to show her skills against something more than rabbits on this trek.

"Well done, sister," Brave Blade congratulated her. Red Fang smiled and drew a dagger from her belt then set about preparing the animals for their supper. Chill Wind watched her skin the hares in revulsion for a second, then squeezed his eyes shut and looked away.

Chill Wind had been given his name because of the sensation of his psychic potential the Kai Lord who'd inducted him had sensed even before he'd begun studying with them. Indeed, Brave Blade understood that he'd already mastered psychic combat, both offensive and defensive, as well as the power of telekinetic movement and detecting danger with a mental sense on the first level of the order's teachings. But it seemed he was just as far from being at home in the wild as Brave Blade had heard.

"And what have you found for us, Boar?" Brave Blade asked, turning to the last member of their expedition.

The boy, Steady Boar, silently presented a small bundle he unwrapped to reveal a large selection of berries and forest vegetables he'd found. He also produced a cloth from his backpack and unwrapped it to reveal four good-sized trout he'd caught.

While Boar enjoyed a fair bit of ribbing over his lackluster name, Brave Blade believed everything he'd heard about the boy earning its meaning. Boar was said to be one of the most powerful and resourceful warriors and hunters among his fellow initiates, and Brave Blade had immediately noticed how recently his axe had been honed and how new and expertly-woven the string he'd used on his bow looked. He clearly took pride in his skills and the tools he utilized with them.

"I still don't see why we're expected to catch our own food," Chill Wind grumbled. "You're all just rubbing my face in it!"

Red Fang grinned. "You're just saying that because you're outside your safe little classroom now, and it's us who are lording our skills over _you_."

"That's enough of that," Brave Blade intervened. "Have your fun, but _never_ let it come between you. We are all brothers in the battle against darkness. If our world falls, then the final victory goes to the enemy who is the enemy of all. Preventing that is your sacred duty."

The initiates all nodded as one in response to the Grand Master's warning. They knew well that the order had been all but wiped out before, and the masters of darkness had almost had the chance to engulf all of Magnamund in the absence of the Kai's protection. That was something all of them swore never to allow to happen again.

"Besides, I think I found enough to keep you and I both fed, Chill Wind," Brave Blade smiled and unwrapped a cloth containing a pile of roots, berries and edible plants. He held up a puffy white root with a dark purple vein running its length. "Have one of these, it'll give you energy for tomorrow's trek.

Chill Wind took the root but looked at it for a long moment then up at Brave Blade with uncertainty. Red Fang started to say something, but then bit her lip and fell silent.

"Speak up if you've something to say, sister," Brave Blade urged her.

"Grand Master?" she said, not sure if she should honor his request, but after a second of deliberation, Red Fang said, "That's called scartongue. It won't give you energy, if it touches your tongue you won't be able to taste a thing or speak a word all day long."

Chill Wind gaped at the news, but Brave Blade smiled softly in approval. "Well done, Red Fang. You recognized this for what it was, but more importantly you stopped an ally before he had the chance to make a mistake. Chill Wind would've survived it, of course, but you used your knowledge to keep him from being put through it, and you had courage enough to speak up and say your teacher wasn't telling the truth. Now, let us feast, my lords!"

Red Fang and Steady Boar nodded, and Red Fang slowly smiled at the declaration before the two of them began preparing their catches for supper. For his part Chill Wind took another look at the root, took another at Brave Blade and then at the other initiates as they happily went about their tasks. Then he threw the root over his shoulder into the brush and went to watch them at work and learn from their efforts. As much as he could stand to watch, at least.

* * *

After finishing their meal the Kai Lords broke up to pursue their own tasks. Grand Master Brave Blade retreated to the center of the campsite and easily settled deep into meditation. The initiates divided up what order each would stand watch that night. There was little danger in the forest so near the monastery for the likes of them, but it was a habit they were made to get into for the time they became more experienced and embarked on long journeys into unfamiliar and dangerous territory. They were powerful, but they were not immortal, and the kinds of enemies the Kai would be called upon to fight were powerful as well.

Red Fang took the first watch, slowly walking the perimeter of their campsite as the campfire died down to a few glowing embers. Her eyes strained as the darkness became almost total on the moonless night, the heightened senses she was training to develop starting to take over and giving her vague outlines of shapes in the forest around her.

A small hint of movement in the brush indicated a rabbit…no, it was too low to the ground. More likely a curious fox that took the Kai party for hunters and was wise enough to take its business elsewhere. She playfully sent out a mental call that she and her friends meant it no harm even though she knew it was gone and not returning.

As she made her second circle around the encampment Red Fang heard a dry branch snapping and whipped her short sword from its scabbard, the dying light of the fire casting rays of red light across its honed edge.

But Red Fang lowered her weapon and sighed in disgust as she recognized the "intruder" staggering closer in the dark. It was only Chill Wind making his way closer to her, and while Red Fang was only beginning to unlock her powers of higher senses like seeing in the dark, Chill Wind hadn't even managed to take those steps.

"You're not taking a watch, Wind," Red Fang reminded him. "What are you doing?"

"I can't practice and try to improve my shortfalls?" Chill Wind asked. "Besides, there's nothing in the forest we actually need to post a watch to guard against. Help me learn to see in the dark, Fang! You're already picking it up!"

Red Fang sighed, but then grabbed Chill Wind and led him by the arm away from the campsite until they could no longer even see the remains of the campfire.

"What are you doing?" Chill Wind demanded.

"I believe it's called 'sink or swim,' " Red Fang answered him. "You want to sharpen your senses, I'll give you a real challenge for them. Look that way," she grabbed him by the back of his head and turned his face toward the darkest part of the forest. "Look straight ahead. Tell me when something starts to come into focus."

Chill Wind squinted and did as he was told, trying to focus his senses as he did when marshalling his psychic powers. Then he stared hard into the darkness for a minute. Then another. He could swear he was just starting to make out the shape of a bush or a tree branch in front of him when suddenly something jabbed against his forehead and pushed his head back.

"You fail the test," Red Fang chuckled, pulling her fingers back from his forehead.

"What's the matter with you?! I was being completely serious!"

"Maybe that's your problem? You take everything so seriously, everything's a skill to be learned," Red Fang replied. "I know you learn how to recognize tracks, and tell what plants are safe to eat and which ones are poison. But this is something I learned to _feel_ , Wind. You give yourself over a little to the wilder part of your instincts."

Chill Wind stood in the dark brooding for a minute. That was exactly what the masters had been telling him when trying to teach him the Kai skills utilized in the wild; to go deeper into his survival instincts and the part of his nature that they stemmed from. With the psychic disciplines in which he excelled it was the other way round, with Chill Wind letting go of himself and embracing the power of serenity and the incorporeal. He'd learned quite a few things about conveying his messages to animals, but everything else he tried to learn about the order's wilderness teachings seemed to lead nowhere.

"I was hoping I might get to take a step in the right direction without the masters looking over my shoulder," Chill Wind grumbled. "It just seems worse when they're there, sometimes. Watching me for anything at all. I don't know why I can't do it, but Mindblast comes so easily..."

"Well, how _do_ you do Mindblast?" Red Fang asked suddenly. "I'm still trying to get it down."

"You start out doing it bit by bit, stimulating the part of your mind that focuses the power of the attack," Chill Wind explained. "Then after you can do that reliably, you learn to focus it on the mind of an opponent."

Red Fang sighed. "That's what the masters always say. I just need to find that part of my mind and be able to spark it."

At that Chill Wind couldn't help laughing a little. "I guess they tell us all the same things, huh? Have you ever noticed how Grand Master Brave Blade talks exactly like the Supreme master?" he asked. "Will we sound like that when we get to their level?"

She chuckled a little at the remark. "I don't know, Wind. It's a little different for me, I think. I've been able to spark that part of my mind that the power comes from a couple times, but when I try to go farther it's like I just…don't really care. Learning to hunt and shoot and talk to animals, that all just seems like things I'm actually going to need when we're advanced enough to leave the monastery. They tell me I'm getting quite good at Mindshield, though…sorry, didn't mean to ramble."

"You know he can hear you, right?" someone suddenly interrupted, and in the dark the two Kai Lords jumped in surprise. Red Fang spun in the direction of the speaker, crossbow primed to fire, until she made out the figure of Steady Boar. It had been the first words he'd spoken on the expedition.

Chill Wind gasped, "Boar, did you really have to sneak up on us like that?!" But after a second realized he was still feeling the presence of something, and it was coming from somewhere else. There was a dull throb at the edges of his mind. Something powerful and deadly was nearby.

"It serves you right," he retorted. "Sentries are supposed to focus all their attention on spotting danger, not idle conversation. If some attacker ambushed us in the dead of night, we wouldn't have any warning thanks to you two."

"Quiet!" Chill Wind snapped. "We _aren't_ alone! Something's coming! Something…big!"

Suddenly they heard another voice, this one quiet but sharp and commanding. "Silence, all of you!" It was Grand Master Brave Blade, and he immediately followed, "Over here, and not a word, whatever you do!" The three initiates slipped over to where Brave Blade had taken refuge at the edge of the clearing, and held their breath as a dark shape flew overhead.

They could just barely make out the shape of a giant winged creature, almost invisible against the moonless sky; only heightened senses such as the Kai's could have seen it at all on such a night. It had huge clawed feet that could easily smash a grown man, and stubby but sharp-looking barbs sticking out all over its shape, completed with a long knobby spike on the tip of its tail.

"Ishir's tits, what was that?!" Chill Wind exclaimed, but a sharp glare from Brave Blade shut him up.

A minute passed before Brave Blade asked, in a whisper, "Indeed, what _was_ that?"

"A Kraan," Red Fang answered.

"No," said a deeper voice, Steady Boar's.

Brave Blade looked over at him. "And why do you say that, Boar?"

"The wings were far too wide," Steady Boar replied. "I'll bet a week's work in the stables that's a Zlaanbeast." The Kraan and Zlaanbeast were both breeds of massive flying creatures bred and used as mounts by the servants of evil. Zlaanbeast were favored by the most powerful and influential among them because of the creatures' impressive speed and stamina, but they were rarely seen after the establishment of the New Kai Order.

Brave Blade nodded at his young charge. "Very good eye, Boar," he said, but grimly. "And I don't suppose I need to ask any of you what it means to see a Zlaanbeast."

"Someone very evil has business here," Chill Wind whispered. "And it must be very evil business itself for them to come so close to our monastery."

"Indeed," was Brave Blade's hushed reply. "We must follow it and find out what its purpose is. Stay close, my lords." And with that he was running through the darkened forest, not making a sound or leaving a trace of his passing. Red Fang took Chill Wind by the arm and led the way through the darkened forest as best she could without leaving him behind.

* * *

Ages seemed to pass as they scrambled to keep up with Brave Blade as he slipped through the forest in almost total darkness, but they didn't dare rely on anything more than their enhanced senses to find their way through the trees. If the Zlaanbeast or its rider realized they were being followed, the Kai Lords might never find out what their mission was.

Finally the winged behemoth started to descend near the northwestern corner of the forest, near a rocky outcropping. The beast touched down on a sheet of dirt in front of it, and a robed, hunched humanoid dismounted from the back of the Zlaanbeast. By magnifying his vision Brave Blade could see it reach into a satchel hanging from its shoulders and pulled out a spherical object as it walked to a cave opening that the Kai Lord certainly didn't remember being in this part of the forest. An agent of evil's interest in the location explained much about that, though.

All at once Brave Blade's senses seemed to explode with pain and he could feel a frigid sensation covering his body and starting to leech his energy away until he concentrated and managed to raise his mental defenses. The object the figure was carrying was a source of horrific evil power, of that there could be no doubt, and it made up the Grand Master's mind of what had to be done.

"Go to the monastery and tell them what's going on," Brave Blade ordered his charges.

"But what about—" Red Fang started to protest, but Brave Blade silenced her with a shake of his head.

"Something must be done now or they'll be able to carry out whatever they're planning," he explained. "And you're not ready for something of this magnitude. I'll not throw your lives away tonight. I'll try to stop this, but if I can't you must send a force to succeed where I failed. Use your lanterns, but go swiftly…Go! Kai and Ishir go with you!" he whispered, invoking the names of the gods of good. And again he was off, sneaking through the darkness and avoiding the gaze of the Zlaanbeast as the fell creature waited for its rider to return.

The three initiates waited for a moment, exchanging glances in the dark and silently asking the question of whether they should just leave in the face of an obvious danger scant miles from the home of the order. Finally Red Fang was the first to scuttle away from their vantage point, and Chill Wind followed, lighting his lantern once he was sure they were out of sight of the Zlaanbeast. Steady Boar waited another minute, looking down as Brave Blade expertly made his way undetected to the cliff face without the evil creature noticing him, then disappearing into the cave. Hesitantly, Steady Boar turned and followed after the others.

After a minute of weaving through trees and bushes he spoke up. "This isn't right. The Grand Master shouldn't be left to deal with this by himself."

"He has a much better idea of what that was than we," Chill Wind spoke up. "And this isn't an armed force, Boar. If no-one managed to deliver word to the monastery we could very well have another second slaughter of the Kai! I don't like this either but there _is_ no ideal option."

Suddenly they all noticed another point of light swinging around some distance ahead and recognized it as someone carrying another lantern. Had someone from the monastery noticed the Zlaanbeast too, and sent someone to investigate? Chill Wind lowered his own lantern as Red Fang strained her eyes to try to recognize the other person in the darkness, but the other lantern started to come closer. They'd been seen.

And it wasn't the only one; the owner cried out in a harsh tongue and others started to close in around them. As they did the young Kai lords froze as they could now make out the skull-like helmets of the intruders in the forest.

They were surrounded by Drakkarim, savage warriors in the service of evil.

* * *

Not to his surprise, but to a growing feeling of dread, Brave Blade found that the interior of the cave was lit by a row of torches on one wall. He followed them to a chamber where a stone dais had been placed in the center that a group of six men in hooded red robes stood around, waiting for the grey-robed figure who had just arrived to enter. But as he placed the orb he'd been carrying on the dais, Brave Blade froze.

This was no man: he had a gnarled black claw in place of a hand, and under his robe was a wide, bird-like foot. He was most probably a Nadziran, a race of some of the most fiendish of the servants of evil on Magnamund, mostly thanks to their natural skill as sorcerers and alchemists.

The orb was something Brave Blade didn't recognize, looking like a simple sphere of crystal but caked with obscuring frost. Indeed, even with his Psi-Screen up Brave Blade could still feel a terrible frigid power inside it waiting to be unleashed. And he had no doubt he and the rest of the Order of the Kai were its intended targets…

One of the red-robed men threw up his arms and collapsed to his knees, bowing before the inhuman sorcerer, and the others wailed before doing the same. The sorcerer seemed unfazed by their gesture of supplication, but the one who'd been the first to bow rose to his knees and spoke. "We lowly devoted welcome the coming of the keeper of dark wisdom," he said to the unimpressed-looking Nadziran. "The orb of ruinous power has been delivered to us, and we will see the will of our dark master done, under the watchful eyes of his agent!"

At that an imposing shape seemed to melt from the shadows, and Brave Blade almost choked as he realized how serious the situation truly was, for this was no simple cult leader who appeared. It was a hulking reptilian creature in the shape of a man, with arms wide enough to smash such a man in two with a single vicious swipe.

He had not one head but two, a long crocodilian face extending from each shoulder. His chest, legs and arms were garbed in a dull gray armour decorated with elaborate designs of monstrous beings fighting and slaughtering humanoid races Brave Blade knew to represent ones like his own. Across the breastplate was a depiction of the sun being eclipsed a malformed face that Brave Blade could only guess was meant to be a depiction of Naar, supreme god of evil and no doubt this demonic being's direct master. How had such a thing gotten to Magnamund, let alone so close to the Kai monastery?

The robed cultists turned toward the two-headed monstrosity next, and their leader called out to him, "Dakathraak the Doom-Caller, mighty Sentinel of the Scarlet Tower, Marshall of the Writhing Horde! We the faithful pledge our lives and souls to the successful completion of the mission on which our dark lord has sent you!" He fell on the ground as he ad with the monstrous sorcerer, and Dakathraak looked on with what Brave Blade swore looked like boredom. He reached past the cultists and picked up the orb, cradling it in his scaly hands.

Immediately there was a blast of icy air that scattered the human cultists all over the floor and blew back the hood of the Nadziran, but otherwise the dark sorcerer had no reaction that Brave Blade could read from its twisted wolf-like features.

"You are of course prepared with what we need to amplify its power," Dakathraak's right head spoke in a voice that sounded to Brave Blade like the grinding of stones together.

"Of course," the sorcerer replied, looking at the dazed cultists as they scrambled off the floor, a faint but malicious smile forming on its misshapen face that made Brave Blade suspect its human accomplices were what it really meant.

Silently Brave Blade reached under his cloak, unshouldered and loaded his bow. He knew a single shot was all he'd get before his enemies knew they'd been found, and one arrow was bound to be nothing to a demonic champion of the dark god.

But the sorcerer was another matter. It seemed to have a vital role to play in the dark business they were involved in even after delivering the orb, but what was more, Brave Blade had heard tales from his leader that some Nadziranim could assume the shape of dragons if they entered battle. If that was a threat he could spare himself, he intended to.

There was a soft creak as Brave Blade drew back his arrow, then let go and it whistled through the air and as soon as the servants of darkness had heard it Brave Blade's arrow had already buried itself in the evil sorcerer's neck. It opened its mouth in a cry of pain but no sound accompanied it, then it tumbled back and hit the ground with a *SPLAT*, its body already melting into thick black slime that oozed out of the openings in its robes.

"TREACHERY!" bellowed the lead cultist and drawing a saw-toothed dagger from inside his robes. The other cultists produced weapons of their own from within their robes and turned to the opening where Brave Blade stood. His face was stoic, showing no fear of the likes of them, but secretly already gathering his powers for when they made their move.

"Do not worry, mighty Doom-Caller!" the leader said, advancing on the Kai Lord. "You'll not have to dirty your hands with this scum!"

Then was when Brave Blade struck. He concentrated on the sheet of dust and sand spread across the floor of the tunnel and it suddenly sprayed into the midst of the advancing cultists, pelting their faces and billowing into their eyes and throats. As they coughed and cried out in pain. Brave Blade clenched a fist and uttered the words of a battle spell, then thrust his fist forward.

An invisible wave of force surged down the tunnel and knocked the cultists down. Dakathraak snorted in disgust and set down the icy orb on its dais. At this Brave Blade threw back his cloak and reached for a weapon, but his hand went past the short sword he usually favored. Against an enemy like this he needed every advantage he could possibly seize.

His closed his hand around the hit of another sword and a tingle of power rand up his arm and his fingers seemed to mold themselves around the grip. An image of Ishir the moon goddess worked into the center of the crossbar started to glow, the eyes opening as the weapon recognized its wielder's touch. As he slid it free from its scabbard the hardy Sommlending steel of the blade, already honed with potent magic, started to turn black as it drank in the darkness of night around it and pulse with power.

Dakathraak callously stomped on the bodies of his mortal followers, crushing them into the stone floor. Their lives were as nothing as soon their use to him was as nothing. He took one look at Brave Blade, crouched and ready to strike, and one head snorted in derision. "Am I meant to fear that weapon of yours, Kai?" the other sneered, exposing needle-like teeth. "I know you can fight with bow and blade, but so can I," he continued, and in the blink of an eye a gleaming silver axe was clutched in each of his taloned hands. "And that is not my only weapon…"

The dark envoy's other mouth opened wide and a strange, dirge-like call started to issue from it. As Dakathraak closed to fight, Brave Blade could feel his strength and will to fight slowly slipping away. Desperately he marshalled his mental defenses and could feel the drain on his reserves slowing, but there was no doubting they weren't strong enough to hold out for long. If only he'd mastered the order's highest tier of mental protection…but there was no time to worry about that now, only about destroying that orb before it could be used against his comrades.

"FOR SOMMERLUND AND THE KAI!" Brave Blade yelled with all of his strength, determined to show this hellspawn the Kai would not falter before him. He and Dakathraak swung their magical weapons at each other, and as the blades met and the entire cave erupted with a blinding burst of power.

The battle was joined.


	2. Chapter 2

**Voice of Ruin – The Final**

The walls of the cave seemed to shake as their supernatural weapons met and a shockwave of power erupted from the point of contact. Brave Blade and Dakathraak the Doom-Caller both recoiled a step, but Brave Blade recovered first and stabbed his black sword into Dakathraak's breastplate. The monstrosity only took another swing at him, axe seeming to carve through the rock of the tunnel wall with no difficulty at all as Brave Blade ducked out of the way just in time, but the Kai Lord was sure he'd managed to strike a telling blow.

He'd need to keep them, coming, though. Dakathraak's droning call kept assaulting his ears but even worse, his mind. He gathered his strength, and then released a surging blast of mental energy that rocked Dakathraak backward just long enough for Brave Blade to strike him again.

But the demonic warrior recovered quickly and came at Brave Blade with axes swinging. Again Brave Blade concentrated, and again he was able to send another telepathic blast that stunned Dakathraak for the precious seconds it took to him to land another blow.

Brave Blade desperately parried a strike from Dakathraak, trying to decide if he could spare the energy for another Kai-Surge. Were his attacks doing anything to his opponent at all? Were his blade and his mental powers strong enough to affect one of Naar's own lieutenants?

In the end, though, he already knew it didn't matter. This was exactly why he had been entrusted with such power, to use it to battle evil anywhere he found it, and he'd certainly found it here. The only thing Brave Blade could do was fight on, even as he felt Dakathraak's voice sapping his strength…

* * *

An entire group of Drakkarim closed in around the Kai Lords they'd caught on the surface, heavy weapons already drawn and trained on the young interlopers. One of the dark-armored warriors barked a command in his savage tongue at the young Kai Lords.

"What did he say?" Red Fang asked.

"He said to throw down our weapons," Chill Wind explained. But he unsheathed the sword at his belt and went into a fighter's stance, showing what he thought of that. Two of the Drakkarim closed in, chuckling softly to themselves, clearly figuring on easy pickings from such young opponents, even armed ones.

The cry of pain splitting the night air and Chill Wind pulling back his sword covered in the Drakkar's blood quickly broke them of that notion. The wounded warrior charged forward swinging his axe and screaming a venomous battlecry but halted in his tracks for just a second as Chill Wind blasted him with a telepathic attack. It was nothing compared to those Brave Blade had been unleashing, but it gave Chill Wind the opening he needed to stab his sword home and bring his enemy down.

Immediately another evil warrior went on the attack against Chill Wind, stamping on the body of his fallen ally in his mad rush to end the young Kai Lord's life. The tip of his sword grazed Chill Wind's neck, and the youth gasped in surprise but managed to remember his combat training and spin out of the way, slamming the pommel of his sword against the back of his enemy's helmet as he went.

The Drakkar turned back toward Chill Wind and angrily unleashed a series of vicious swings. Chill Wind concentrated his telepathic attack on the warrior's mind, trying to stab and pry through the miasma of battle-lust surrounding it.

For a second, he faltered. Like any Kai Lord he'd been taught the intricacies of battle and how to be brave, to rise above the strain and doubt of lethal conflict. Facing the real thing for the first time was still a shock, the masters had always said, and as his enemy's sword dug into his arm, that was the only thing Chill Wind could think about.

He clenched his teeth and his mental attack flared with power, bursting through the haze around the Drakkar's mind. The dark warrior staggered back a step clutching his head, and that was all the time Chill Wind needed to charge forward and finish him off.

As his enemy fell Chill Wind felt a rush of relief. He and the others were young, and they were untested. But they were Kai Lords, the defenders of Sommerlund, and they would win this fight. He glanced over his shoulder to see a pair of Drakkarim fall as Red Fang deftly fired her crossbow and bury a shaft in the vulnerable eye socket of the first's helmet, and her other shot found its way between the plates of the second Drakkar's armor. But she was the only other one fighting.

"Where's Boar?!" Chill Wind yelled into the dark.

* * *

Where, indeed.

Steady Boar looked down over the small rise where the Zlaanbeast still waited outside the cave for its rider. His heightened senses tingled as they detected a much greater danger below, though, and it was coming closer and closer to the surface. He was sure that Grand Master Brave Blade had encountered something much more powerful than he'd expected in the cave, and it had Brave Blade on the defensive.

What could he do? If something was down there that outmatched even a Grand Master, it would make short work of a Kai Lord like Steady Boar.

That was…unless he sought out an advantage elsewhere.

His eyes settled on the massive Zlaanbeast, and with his animal kinship abilities he sent out a gentle, friendly call to it.

* * *

Dakathraak swung his axes in a blinding fury, driving Brave Blade backward and occasionally catching him with one blow and opening a new wound. The Grand Master had managed to penetrate Dakathraak's relentless onslaught several times and land some hefty blows of his own, but the even as the Doom-Caller's movements slowed ever so slightly a normal warrior never would've detected them at all, Dakathraak still blocked the opening to the chamber where the orb was and kept pushing Brave Blade back along the tunnel. His massive frame and powerful swings of his weapons easily smashed through the rock as he forced the Kai Lord further and further away from the icy orb and back out into the open.

And through it all Brave Blade could feel the wall he'd created around his mind crumbling as the droning, dirge-like call Dakathraak emitted seemed to grow stronger and louder, and it took more and more effort for Brave Blade to swing his black sword and more and more often seemed to merely graze Dakathraak doing hardly any damage at all.

The sound of Dakathraak's call had almost totally filled his mind and Brave Blade felt cold blackness consuming him, but suddenly lashed out with a surge of burning mental power. Dakathraak cried out in surprise at the sudden attack burst of pain in his demonic mind then staggered away thrashing his heads back and forth in agony. His tiny reptilian eyes managed to focus on Brave Blade and an even deeper hatred for the Kai seemed to burn there as not just an obstacle, but perhaps a true threat after all.

Brave Blade didn't allow himself to be distracted or dissuaded by such thoughts, though. Yelling as loud as he could he jumped and slashed his weapon with all his might, severing one of Dakathraak's heads that went spinning into the darkness. Another swing of his magical sword sundered one of the evil creature's axes into a dozen pieces and lopped off the hand holding it. As soon as the appendage hit the ground it seemed to crumble into ashes.

Dakathraak faced Brave Blade with his remaining head and then let out a grating scream that seared through the Kai Lord's mind, ten times more painfully than before and crumbling his already weakened mental screen like so much sand. Brave Blade cried out in pain but it was drowned out in the hellish cacophony of Dakathraak's psionic scream. He collapsed to his knees, his enchanted sword tumbling from his hand as he futilely clapped his hands to his ears, trying to block out just a bit of the noise so he could reestablish his defenses.

For a few more seconds Dakathraak continued his relentless psychic assault before letting up and staggering back a step. Even he could only unleash such power for a short time before needing to recover it seemed. Still, the Doom-Caller stomped over to where Brave Blade still lay helpless from the savage mental barrage he'd barely survived, lifting his glimmering axe high to end the interference of the Grand Master.

When all of a sudden a piercing shriek cut through the clearing and the ground trembled as a huge figure charged toward Dakathraak, stomping on enormous clawed feet. It was the Zlaanbeast ridden by his former Nadziran ally. At first it seemed drawn by the commotion of battle and for a moment Brave Blade feared he was about to end his life being torn to pieces by the winged beast.

Then it reached out and seized Dakathraak in its beak and hoisted him off the ground, thrashing him around ferociously.

The sound of Dakathraak's screaming had faded and Brave Blade was recovering enough of his senses to ask what in the name of all that was holy was going on, then noticed another figure entering the scene of battle and recognized Steady Boar, now sporting a bloody wound on one shoulder the size and shape of the Zlaanbeast's beak. He'd managed to gain sway over the savage creature, an impressive feat especially for one still new to the finer points of his training, but had paid for it.

With quivering arms Brave Blade managed to pull a flask off his belt, uncorked it with his teeth and quickly drank the potion of laumspur within, shutting his eyes with relief as he felt the restorative tonic taking effect and the strain on his system from Dakathraak's last attack starting to fade. Still he was badly weakened, and would be no match if Dakathraak got another chance at him. Brave Blade pressed his hands to his chest and closed his eyes, focusing his healing powers to recover as quickly as he could.

Meanwhile the Zlaanbeast chomped down on Dakathraak's armour repeatedly, denting and finally tearing at the metal while slamming him repeatedly against the ground with swings of its great neck. While he gritted his teeth in pain and anger, Dakathraak was hacking at the creature's neck with his remaining axe for minutes on end until finally the Zlaanbeast let out a last pitiful screech and fell down with a final crash. Dakathraak hissed angrily and climbed to his feet to finish off Brave Blade as well, but found yet another foe blocking his way.

There stood Steady Boar, axe drawn and crouching behind his shield. He glanced over his shoulder at Brave Blade, still engaged in his restorative trance. Dakathraak closed in, looming over the young Kai Lord.

But the young Kai Lord was unafraid. "I am Steady Boar of the Order of the Kai, and your sworn enemy!" he bellowed. "I will fight to protect the people of this world from all agents of the dark god, and if it be my fate to give my life in that mission, I will sell it dearly!"

Naar's envoy snorted in derision and stomped closer to meet Steady Boar's challenge, and the initiate ran to deliver on it.

* * *

Red Fang dropped her short sword, the blade blunted against a Drakkar's breast plate. Deftly she ducked and unsheathed a dagger from the belt of one of the two lying dead at her feet and threw it at another of the evil warriors charging forward to avenge them. It clanged against the side of his helmet but the blade snapped against the hard black iron and did no serious damage.

He stabbed at her suddenly and gouged her side with his spear, but in doing so gave Red Fang a shot she couldn't miss with her last crossbow bolt, burying the projectile deep in his brain.

As he fell dead, she grimaced and pressed her hand against the wound from his spear, the most serious of several she'd picked up dealing with the other Drakkarim. Almost at once the blood stopped flowing and soft tissue closed over it, but she knew she'd need to take it easy for the rest of the fight or it could easily open again.

That, unfortunately, didn't appear to be an option as more and more Drakkarim came running into the range of their lights, drawn by the sound of battle around the cave the evil warriors had been standing guard for whatever menace Brave Blade was confronting inside. Behind her she saw Chill Wind lash out with his Mindblast attack in all directions at once, dazing the three Drakkarim surrounding him and giving him the chance he needed to finish one off with a stolen spear he was wielding, then retreating out of the reach of the other two.

Red Fang snatched a fallen mace from the ground, a heavy, clumsy weapon she didn't care for, but the only one in sight. She ran to Chill Wind's aid, but as she did she could see dark red stains and tears all over Chill Wind's clothes also. The two young Kai were acquitting themselves well, but if this battle went on much longer they were bound to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

"Back to that cave!" Chill Wind yelled just as Red Fang was about to herself. "At least we'll have allies there!"

They turned and ran back the way they'd come, the Drakkarim following, swinging their black iron weapons and screaming taunts at the Kai Lords' backs.

* * *

At the same time, Steady Boar dodged back and forth avoiding Dakathraak's thunderous blows that cleaved into the ground, but he yanked the axe back out with no difficulty at all. The demonic champion missed Boar's leg by a fraction of an inch and then let out one of his piercing psychic screams that had overwhelmed Brave Blade. Steady Boar was watching out for it, though, and nipped around Dakathraak suddenly, his head aching horribly for a second but avoiding the worst of it.

Steady Boar swung at Dakathraak's vulnerable sides and back with his strongest blows, but though sparks flew the blade of his axe left little impact on the evil being's body. It came as no surprise that something more than mortal could withstand normal blows, but in the distance he was sure he could hear a group of someone or something crashing through the forest. All he needed was for Dakathraak to have allies as well…

Dakathraak swung his axe at Steady Boar again, who raised his shield to defend himself but the weapon smashed it to pieces with one blow and savagely gashed Steady Boar's chest before sending the Kai Lord flying through the air to land next to Brave Blade. The Grand Master opened his eyes and reached out with a stiff arm for his fallen sword. He gaped at Steady Boar who lay gasping and staring back up at him with wide-eyed terror.

Brave Blade looked up at Dakathraak the Doom-Caller with anger burning in his eyes. Anger at the horrific injury his brave young companion had suffered at the demon's hands. Anger at the effrontery of this spawn of darkness for daring to strike at the Order of the Kai in the forest that was their own home.

"Reflect on your mortality, sun-child," Dakathraak said. "Even you are as nothing before the might of Naar! May the darkness enshroud your world for all time!"

He swung his axe at Brave Blade's chest, but the Grand Master parried the powerful swing on the flat of his magical sword. Dakathraak's reptilian face was a mask of surprise for a second, but he recovered and let out his piercing psychic scream that washed over Brave Blade like a tidal wave. The Grand Master staggered back one step, then two from the pain in his mind, but he clenched his teeth, concentrated his mental defense skills and formed the strongest wall he could around his mind. Then, Brave Blade lunged.

"FOR THE KAI!" Brave Blade cried, the force of his words drowning out Dakathraak's scream in his head. The tip of his sword drove through Dakathraak's chest and out the other side. Immediately the psychic assault stopped. Dakathraak seemed to gape in disbelief down at Brave Blade for a second, then his body started to disintegrate, floating away in small pieces of what seemed like ash until nothing was left, not even a fleck of blood on Brave Blade's sword. For but an instant he thought he saw a wisp of ghostly white light in front of him, but then is sped away into the sky and was gone.

But he wasted no time thinking about it. Desperately Brave Blade dropped his sword and pressed his hands over Steady Boar's gaping chest wound. Brave Blade may not have mastered the teachings of psychic defense yet, but one thing no member of the order could deny was that Brave Blade had mastered their skills of healing. He could feel his own newly-regained strength fading away, but what did that matter? The battle was won, and there was still a life to be saved.

"Come back to us, Boar," Brave Blade whispered even as his hands grew red. "You served Kai bravely today…such a magnificent start to your legacy deserves to be more than the end of it!"

While he continued to pour his healing power into Steady Boar's body, Brave Blade looked up as he saw the light of a swaying lantern approaching the site of his battle. He could make out Chill Wind and Red Fang in its scant light, and behind them heard the clang and crash of armor-booted feet.

"Grand Master!" Red Fang panted as she stopped by his side. "Thank Ishir! What happened?!"

"Boar saved my life. I just hope I'm in time to save his," Brave Blade replied. Suddenly Steady Boar gasped and coughed, sitting up and retching. A soft smile of relief settled onto Brave Blade's face. "Looks like it…"

"Grand Master, there's a host of Drakkarim right behind us!" Chill Wind exclaimed.

Brave Blade sighed. "Of course. Sentries to keep intruders from discovering what those in the cave were up to…" He stood up and drew his bow. "Stay behind me, all of you," Brave Blade warned.

A moment later a handful of Drakkarim came down the hill, raising their weapons and yelling their battlecries to strike fear in the Kai Lords they thought they had on the run. The twang of a bowstring and the arrow that pierced the lead warrior's chest quickly put paid to that notion.

The death cries of two more before the first had even hit the ground rang out. A few Drakkarim attempted to fire back but after the first of them was put down by one of the Kai's arrows, their mounting casualties and recognizing the slaughtered Zlaanbeast helped them to see how the tide had turned against them. They scattered into the darkness, armored boots clanking in retreat.

"Do we go after them?" Chill Wind asked, faint anxiety in his voice, but Brave Blade shook his head.

"No, we're all in poor shape after that. You did well now, my lords," the Grand Master congratulated them, "but they may still have some fight in them, and there's a great danger much closer that must still be attended to. Watch Boar, I will return shortly."

Then he stood and descended into the cave.

* * *

The Grand Master walked past the row of torches into the chamber where he'd caught the servants of evil before they could enact their sinister plan, whatever it had been. He stepped carefully over the twisted bodies of the human cultists, half expecting one of them to grab him as he tried to cross over their remains, but nothing happened as he crossed to the dais where the icy orb still rested.

Without those villains gathered around, or perhaps it was the adrenaline still thundering through his veins that intensified everything he was feeling, its cold life-eradicating power seemed to resonate even more strongly. Brave Blade and the other Kai Lords with him had seen off the evildoers who'd planned to make use of it, but as long as it existed, others could do the same.

Brave Blade lifted his magical sword high, then brought it down on the orb, splitting it in two.

Immediately a howling wind ripped from the orb's shattered remains and a sheet of frost formed over Brave Blade's body as it blew over him. He held up his Kai cloak to protect himself as the winds grew stronger and louder, pushing Brave Blade to his knees, his fingers starting to numb even through the thick cloak. The wind howled down the tunnel leading to the surface and blowing out the torches one by one.

On the surface, the young Kai Lords cried out as the rush of frigid air caught them by surprise and blew them all down into a tangled and confused heap. For just a moment Chill Wind swore he could see a ghostly, malformed face snarling silently at him in front of the night sky, but then it was gone.

* * *

Shortly thereafter Brave Blade emerged from the cave, smiling wearily in his young charges' lamplight. He assured them that the villains' plot had been stopped, but also announced they were heading back to the monastery without delay in case the Drakkarim regained their courage and returned, possibly with more of their kind.

The trek was slow with all of them still keenly feeling their wounds from the recent battles, Steady Boar mostly keenly of all. "Are you sure you're up to the trek back already?" Brave Blade asked him.

"I'm fine," Steady Boar forced a smile as he said. "But I'll miss that axe."

"Your _axe_?" Chill Wind said in bewilderment. "There's always another weapon, Boar."

"Yes, but I'd gotten used to that one."

Brave Blade shook his head. "He might have put it a bit more delicately, but Chill Wind has a point. 'Treasure your possessions, you may not have them long,' as the Supreme Master always said."

Steady Boar still scowled. "But it was _my_ axe…"

All at once Brave Blade held up his hand for silence, and it only took the others a second to figure out why. They could hear the sounds of a column of horses coming closer, and after another second could see the swinging beacons of lanterns held at the eye level of horsemen. The Kai Lords froze and hands went to their weapons before the riders rounded a bend and came into sight, and as they rode closer and came to a stop in front of the small band, the sun clasps on their long cloaks could be seen.

"Brave Blade, is that you?!" the rider at the head of the column said, and threw back his hood. It was Star Lynx, another Grand Master, and he was grinning in relief as he recognized his fellow Kai Lords, wounded and disheveled as they were.

"Hail, Star Lynx. I suppose someone detected something happening," Brave Blade smiled wearily.

"Someone?! Every Master in the country felt something going on out here!" Star Lynx replied. "Lone Wolf himself ordered me to mount an expedition immediately! But something tells me the four of you know all about it."

"All about it, friend, all about it," Brave Blade replied. "But I can tell you the danger is over."

Star Lynx nodded, relief seeming to settle over him. "That's welcome news indeed, but you'd better tell us everything all the same."

* * *

The ride back to the monastery was a quick one, and once there the three initiates were gently led away to have their wounds treated. Meanwhile, Brave Blade had expected to meet with Lone Wolf himself to be debriefed, but was surprised when he was taken aside and questioned by Star Lynx as to what had happened, and after being told took the halves of the orb Brave Blade had destroyed, which had since turned completely black.

Once that was dealt with, Brave Blade retired to his sparse quarters and slept like the dead after the night's events. His rest went uninterrupted until midmorning when he heard a familiar sound above the monastery. It was a powerful humming that for a few seconds even sent a tremor through the masonry of the walls.

But glancing out the window confirmed his suspicions about both the source of the noise and what had been occupying Lone Wolf's attention before. It was a large, majestic flying ship approaching the monastery, one that Brave Blade had seen many times. Without even needing to check he knew it was called the _Cloud-dancer_ , and it was bearing some illustrious guests. No doubt there to try to divine the purpose of the sundered orb and it's would-be users.

Soon Brave Blade fully awoke and went about his duties instructing the new members of the order, leading a history lesson on famous battles against the forces of darkness and then in the afternoon combat drills where he led them in battle practice. He was a little startled to see Red Fang, Chill Wind and even Steady Boar in the back, his expression serious and determined to take part even after his almost-deadly experience the night before.

In the end, Brave Blade had to admit to a certain pride at their dedication to the training even after nearly losing their lives the night before. The three of them moved noticeably slower than the others, occasionally wincing in pain as their still-fresh injuries acted up. By the end of training, Brave Blade made his way over to the trio, who were still congregating together on one side of the training park. It was a bit strange; they'd been assigned on the trek to give them the chance to work alongside other members of the order they were unused to.

"Don't tell me the healers honestly wouldn't excuse you from combat practice," Brave Blade asked with faint disbelief.

"Chill Wind said we should come," Red Fang answered. "It'd help us recover from last night faster if we went to practice and everything else like normal."

"Good thinking," Brave Blade nodded respectfully to Chill Wind, who smiled faintly but looked away. A moment later someone approached them, Star Lynx, the Grand Master who'd come searching the night before.

He motioned for them to follow him. "Lone Wolf commands an audience with all of you," he explained.

"I told you everything we encountered already," Brave Blade reminded him.

Star Lynx nodded. "He has explanations to give _you_."

* * *

Star Lynx led the way up to the great hall of the monastery where their leader took audiences. The three initiates kept exchanging uncertain glances with each other, but saying nothing. An audience with the Supreme Master himself seemed a daunting prospect, even if it was because they'd saved the Kai monastery from destruction. What if they made fools of themselves or forgot some vital detail that left the order vulnerable to another attack?

Star Lynx opened one of the heavy double doors and then walked over to the left side of the room where a group of cloaked men awaited in patient silence. They were the other Kai Grand Masters: Bright Star, Blazer, Steel Hand, Black Hawk, Swift Sword, and Firestone, who was even Brave Blade's senior.

Seated on his alabaster throne not far away from them, clad in ornamental robes and wearing a double sun-clasp, was Supreme Master Lone Wolf himself, the only survivor of the original Order of the Kai thanks to a massive sneak attack by the forces of evil during a time of celebration. Despite having been only a lowly initiate himself at the time, Lone Wolf went on to become not only the greatest Kai Lord who had ever lived, but the greatest hero their world had ever known, slaying many champions of the god of evil and thwarting their most ambitious plans on many occasions. His powerful countenance was serene as Brave Blade and the three initiates entered, then he made a faint expression of pride as they stopped in front of him.

Among the assemblage of the Kai Lords' highest-ranking members were also a fair-haired, lightly bearded man wearing robes decorated with a star-like pattern. The other was a distinguished-looking elderly sage with a long gray beard. Brave Blade knew them both well from their regular visits to the monastery to confer with Lone Wolf on vital matters in their unending war against evil. The first was Banedon, Guildmaster of the Brotherhood of Crystal Star of goodly-aligned magicians and Lone Wolf's oldest ally and closest friend; Lone Wolf still proudly war the crystal pendant in the shape of a star that Banedon had given him as a token of good hope at their first meeting.

The second man, if truly such a word applied, was Lord Rimoah, one of the few remaining members of the Elder Magi, an ancient race of mystical beings who were responsible for the defeat of some of the most evil creatures to threaten Magnamund. Rimoah himself had shared his wisdom with Lone Wolf and the Order of the Kai on many occasions, helping the Supreme Master succeed on some of his most harrowing adventures. Now, he held the two blackened hunks that had been the orb Brave Blade had destroyed.

"Thank you all for coming," Lone Wolf said, addressing everyone in the room. "Surely there are all other matters for us to attend to, but the magnitude of last night's events has prompted me to call this assemblage. Our esteemed colleagues have examined the artefact retrieved by Brave Blade and his expedition, and will know explain their findings to us. Lord Rimoah?"

The learned old wizard stepped forward, holding a ragged hunk of black gemstone in each hand. "Although the power has left the remains of the orb, based on what we can still detect and the report made by Grand Master Brave Blade, Guildmaster Banedon and myself believe it to be the Orb of Dejkaata, a weapon fashioned by Darklord Vashna himself."

Few of them showed much of a reaction, but Brave Blade knew enough to spot a faint wince of unease at the name. Darklord Vashna had been the strongest, most cunning and wicked of an entire assemblage of champions of evil. He had fallen in battle centuries ago, but it was said Vashna languished in the sleep of death, and Lone Wolf had been called upon to prevent his return more than once.

"It was thought lost for ages," Guildmaster Banedon interjected. "But apparently not for good. The legends say it had the power to release a ruinous blizzard but that its power could only be sparked if it were to be held by a creature of pure evil. Based on what we have been told, the purpose of the intruders in the forest was to carry out a ritual in order to amplify its power and destroy the Kai monastery. I believe we all know what they were hoping to accomplish by doing that."

Grand Master Black Hawk cleared his throat. "How could such a being as this Doom-Caller have arrived on Magnamund without making its presence known, though?"

"An excellent question," Banedon replied. "We suspect he may have been smuggled through the gate through which Naar sent the dragon horde that besieged the Kai monastery some time ago, and held in reserve for another of the dark god's diabolical schemes. Fortunately, a party of brave and resource Kai Lords were nearby to stop it from succeeding." He smiled gently at Brave Blade and the initiates.

Brave Blade smirked faintly. "Thank Bright Star and his attempt at astrology."

"Indeed," Lone Wolf said, and rose from his throne. Immediately all eyes were on the legendary warrior. "As proud as I am of you four, this intrusion into our territory shows how dedicated our enemies truly are. The time has come to act, and I will be flying to Lencia this afternoon in pursuit of that action.

"However, the bravery these three initiates showed deserves special merit. I decree that they will accompany me, and that they will receive my personal instruction in their studies during the journey."

Chill Wind choked in disbelief at the proclamation, Red Fang gasped, while Steady Boar just nodded, but Brave Blade noticed a faint smile ghost across his face. Lone Wolf surveyed them all, nodding at the group of initiates, but was that a knowing look he gave when he came to Red Fang?

"Go and refresh yourselves," he said to the initiates. "Pack your things and visit the armory if you need to do so. I'll expect you all in the training park in full readiness in five hours' time. Be prompt, my lords."

"Thank you sir!" Chill Wind blurted out, and the initiates scrambled out of the room to prepare for their journey with the Supreme Master. The other Grand Masters laughed lightly, and Lone Wolf smiled good-naturedly as well, then gently motioned that they were dismissed. "Never forget that we must always be watchful," he warned, "and that our enemies will resort to anything to seize their goals."

Brave Blade was the last to leave, but as he reached the doors, Lone Wolf waved him back. "Would you accompany me to the Vault of the Sun, Brave Blade?" the Supreme Master asked. "My confidants and I have something we would discuss with you."

The Grand Master regarded his leader with surprise, but nodded.

* * *

Lone Wolf led Brave Blade, Banedon and Lord Rimoah through the monastery to a heavy stone door flanked by a pair of impassive guards with halberds leaned against their shoulders. Lone Wolf pressed his hand into an indentation in the middle of the door, and with a spark of magic at his touch it rose into the ceiling with a powerful grinding.

The doorway opened into a stone stairway that descended into the ground below the monastery, into Lone Wolf's private sanctum. He often used it to hold private conferences with his closest aides like Banedon and Lord Rimoah, but Brave Blade was familiar with it himself, having studied there as part of the first group of recruits into the New Order of the Kai.

There near the center, as they always had, stood seven crystalline orbs on thin metal stands glowing faintly in a rainbow of different colors. The Lorestones of Nyxator, physical embodiments of the goodly power and knowledge of the higher teachings of the Order of the Kai. On a lectern between them rested an ancient book, its leather cover faded with age; the Book of the Magnakai, the recorded wisdom of Sun Eagle, the first Kai Lord in history, and lost for ages before being narrowly recovered from agents of evil.

On the wall hung a broadsword fashioned of a golden-hued metal, the image of a howling sun carved into the hilt. This weapon was the Sommerswerd, the most famous weapon in all of Magnamund, for it was a blessed blade given to mankind by the gods themselves when Darklord Vashna and his armies had almost overrun the land. Since then numerous other agents of evil had met their demise upon its holy edge.

These were truly the most sacred of Sommerlund's treasures, but Lone Wolf walked over to a vacant corner of the vault and removed a leather satchel from a concealed safe. He flipped back the top, and Brave Blade's suspicions were confirmed: this was about another great treasure, one that all those others paled before.

Inside the satchel was the Moonstone, a translucent stone that glowed with a white light that radiated a feeling of life itself. It had been created by the Shianti, a race of god-like beings who had long since left mortal men to their own efforts. The Moonstone's true powers defied mortal comprehension, and so great was its influence on the world of man that Magnamund's history was measured from the time of its creation.

But that power had been so great and disruptive to mankind's growth and control over his own destiny, the goddess Ishir herself had commanded the Moonstone be removed from Magnamund completely. Eventually it had found its way into the hands of Naar, god of evil himself, and he had manipulated its power to send his personal minions, such as Dakathraak the Doom-Caller, directly to Magnamund. Lone Wolf had undertaken an extremely perilous journey into Naar's personal stronghold to recover the precious stone, and upon his success had hidden it in the Kai monastery, hoping to ensure its safety in that way.

"I am sure you are thinking the same thing we three were, Grand Master," Lone Wolf addressed Brave Blade. "The safety of the Moonstone cannot be guaranteed even here under the supervision of the Kai. You saw the danger for yourself. And the last thing we must allow is for it to fall back into Naar's hands."

Brave Blade nodded. "Then this journey to Lencia you'll be taking, sire, is to deliver it someplace of greater security than here with the entire order watching over it?"

Lone Wolf smirked slightly and nodded. "After a fashion. For all I might've accomplished in defending our land, it's had the unfortunate side effect of drawing the eyes of all the agents of Naar when I venture out on any errand these days."

"You're planning to use your journey to Lencia as a distraction, then," Brave Blade guessed.

His leader nodded, smiling proudly. "Yes indeed. Taking a party of other Kai Lords with me will lend the journey even more legitimacy, and I meant what I said about overseeing the initiates' lessons while we're away. They deserve a reward for seeing to their duties so readily when confronted. At their age, I wouldn't have blamed them for fearing an actual battle.

"However, delivering the Moonstone to a place of greater safety is a task my allies and I have been debating for some time," Lone Wolf went on. "It's not just the danger of Naar's agents attempting to reclaim it that has us ill at ease. Surely you remember how early and dramatically last winter ended, with the spring plants actually pushing their way through sheets of ice. Winter is beginning to encroach everywhere else in the northern half of Magnamund, but in Sommerlund the leaves remain green and the trees continue to bear fruit."

"There'd been some joking among the lords about how we'd know when to celebrate Fehmarn," Brave Blade said jestingly, mentioning the kingdom's celebration of the beginning of spring.

Lone Wolf replied with a level look. "Indeed, but after studying the effects of the Moonstone on Sommerlund, my advisors have begun to fear just how drastic these effects might become if allowed to continue. The Moonstone's power seems to feed upon itself and grow greater all the time. It seems beneficial now, but we must not forget the lessons from the Shianti's use of this artefact. The paths of entire civilizations were once subverted by the Moonstone, and I have begun to share Banedon and Lord Rimoah's concerns that even under the protection of the Kai, the same will happen again if it is allowed to remain here."

Brave Blade nodded solemnly. "And it's our duty to keep men free and the masters of their own destiny, sire."

Banedon laughed. "Spoken like a true Kai Lord, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed," Lone Wolf replied, and clapped a hand on his pupil's shoulder. "Brave Blade, if you would accept, I would like to entrust to you the task of returning the Moonstone to the only ones who can truly fathom and protect its power: the Shianti themselves."

"Me, sir?" Brave Blade asked, slightly surprised even though there had been no mistaking this was where Lone Wolf had been leading all along. "I had heard talk that, well, Firestone was to be sent away on an important mission," Brave Blade admitted.

Lone Wolf smiled softly in amusement. "It is true that Firestone is the most senior among your fellow Grand Masters, and he had been my first choice for the task lying ahead of us. However, while Firestone is a fine example of what the Kai can become, now I find he's been edged out in practical experience."

"Sire, I merely—"

"You 'merely' slew one of Naar's personal champions in man-to-man combat and thwarted a plan to destroy the monastery and capture the Moonstone again," Lone Wolf cut him off, but with a proud smile. "I never told you the meaning of the name I gave you."

"Something to do with the look in my eyes, I believe, sire," Brave Blade replied.

The Supreme Master nodded slightly, proudly Brave Blade would've thought, but there was a sad glimmer in his eyes as well as the memories seemed to be coming forth for the first time in a long while. "It was the name of the leader of the Order of the Kai when I was but an initiate…when the surprise attack came that destroyed the monastery and all the other Kai Lords except myself. Whenever I saw you struggling with your training, you would get a look of determination in your eyes, and try twice as hard. It was exactly the same look he had as I saw Giaks and Drakkarim swarming him from every side, and yet he kept fighting, knowing there was no escape but determined to take as many of them with him as he could.

"Brave Blade, I mean no jest when I say you've brought honor to that name, and proven yourself a worthy and brave Kai Lord. I can think of none of my pupils I could better entrust with such a vital task." Lone Wolf held out the satchel containing the Moonstone to him. "Now I ask, will you honor the name of your forebear again, and take on this quest for the good of us all?"

If you would step into Brave Blade's role and accept the first harrowing mission of the New Order of the Kai, facing the innumerable dangers of delivering the divine Moonstone safely to its creators and out of the grasp of the servants of evil, then prepare yourself to embark on the…

 _Voyage of the Moonstone_

* * *

 **Well, there it is, my take on what happened to kick off the New Order series. Didn't turn out quite how I would've liked, but it's out there all the same. Hope it wasn't too bad.**

 **Couple of notes. The thing about the first Brave Blade being the leader of the original Order of the Kai is something that I think was only mentioned in the updated rerelease of Flight from the Dark.**

 **For the curious, Brave Blade's four disciplines were Kai-Surge (telepathic attack powers), Elementalism (small-scale control over earth, air, fire and wind), Magi-Magic (offensive magic spells) and Deliverance (healing), although I'm sure sharp-eyed fans figured that out on their own. His weapon was Kaistar, which becomes more powerful at night.**

 **The Orb of Dejkaata was from the Darklands sourcebook for the Lone Wolf tabletop RPG. According to the description only a Darklord can use its power, but I figured Naar's other personal champions could do it too, since the Darklords were just the only examples from the time period the game was set in.**

 **Speaking of champions of evil, I'd originally thought about naming the villain "Decathryk," but considering how many major villains' names in the books were peppered with A's I decided to change it to strengthen the connection to the source material a little. Seriously, there's Naar himself, Agarash, Vashna, Zagarna, Haakon, Gnaag, Kraagenskul, Taktaal, Baraka, Shasarak, Magnaarn, Shamath, Ixiataaga, and my personal favorite, Kekataag the Avenger.**

 **Lone Wolf's knowing look to Red Fang and her "Redalion-type" automatic crossbow are, of course, extremely cryptic references to the video game.**

 **And of course, any newcomers who might be reading and asking what the heck all this means are recommended to stop by Project Aon and see what this is all about.**


End file.
